Valid $179 Million Lost Lottery Ticket Turned In- Battle Looms Over 'Lost Property'

Detroit Free Press ^ | 1/6/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Someone turned in a valid ticket for the $162 million Mega Millions multistate lottery jackpot, the Ohio Lottery said Tuesday, a day after a Cleveland woman claimed she lost the winning ticket outside the convenience store where it was sold.

[dennisw]

I would do the same. Give her one million dollars to make her go away. Go away happy and not kicking herself for the rest of her life.

[Naspino]

Nonsense. Plenty of precedent for lost property, including money, another "bearer" note.

You sure?

[mabelkitty]

Jemison consulted an attorney, but did not draw up a blind trust to get the cash (and yes you can).
Did she go to work yesterday?
Who was the guy in his 30s that showed up at the store after the drawing and said he won?
Was he one of the guys standing around the store the day Mrs. Battle's purse was dumped?
Did Jemison's husband go to work?
How did she get a hold of an accountant and an attorney on New Year's Eve and Day?

[Protagoras]

Bottom line: If you buy a lottery ticket, hold onto it. If you lose it, you ain't getting the money.

If it was hers before and truly lost it, I'll bet she gets something. I'm guessing half.

There are lots of ways they might tell.

[dead]

What would cinch the deal is if she produced a ticket with the same set of numbers from a previous drawing.

That would prove nothing except the fact that she bought a losing lottery ticket in a previous drawing.

Those tickets are not transferable to future drawings.

[Salgak]

She deserves NOTHING. It says on the ticket that it's a bearer document. She dropped it, and lost it. Too bad: hold on to it tighter next time. . .

[mabelkitty]

Police Report is credible evidence. You can view it on the Smoking Gun.
Jemison may have to cough up some more information.

[Bikers4Bush]

Can one also reconstruct the other combinations on the same ticket to match the bet slip? In other words she chooses five sets of numbers on the bet slip and receives a ticket with five sets of numbers on it. You're saying that those additional sets can also be constructed?

I doubt it, that would truly be a miracle.

[RandallFlagg]

this whole thing is very funny!

Agreed. I have never bought a lottery ticket in my whole life. But the Lottery-related conflicts are quite hilarious. As is this thread!

[smith288]

Not so fast. While I think Mrs. Jamison is the true winner, one can easily reconstruct a bet slip if she holds the winning ticket. What would cinch the deal is if she produced a ticket with the same set of numbers from a previous drawing.

True enough. But if that is the case, then it just helps her (albeit, unsrupulous). Mrs Battle seems like a real idiot in all of this if she WAS the winner but lost it.

[Naspino]

She needs more than just her word. She needs other people to vouch for her presense at the time of ticket purchase.

I'd say she needs more than that. Lets say you struck up a conversation with a woman at the counter and discussed the numbers they were picking and what you'd do with the money. Then you saw the winning numbers and remembered that meeting. You know the time and the store. You dropped it. Hell maybe you even touched it.

[Johnny_Cipher]

Were I the ticket holder, I would offer only one deal. I'll give you whatever it takes (after taxes) to net you $1 million. If you fight me in court, I will see that you get no more than the $1 you paid for the ticket.

These are the pure gold nuggets posted in this thread so far. Brilliant idea.

The only thing I would add is that this offer is extended ONLY to Ticket Loser and no one else. Anybody else who comes forward and tries this - well, see you in court.

[Wissa]

I would do the same. Give her one million dollars to make her go away. Go away happy and not kicking herself for the rest of her life.

You'd write a million dollar check to somebody you know made up the story to defraud you?

[Bikers4Bush]

The smoking gun is smoking something else if they think that those questions mean anything.

[Cooter]

True. While not absolute proof, it would lend credence to the bet ticket explanation.

[kcvl]

Battle, 40, filed a police report saying she dropped her purse as she left the Quick Shop Food Mart last week after buying the ticket. She said she realized after the drawing last Tuesday that the ticket was missing.

BS...

Some people make a CAREER of scams. If she spent as much time at a REAL JOB, she wouldn't have SEVEN kids, while her husband worked two jobs.

[Protagoras]

Ms. Battles is out of luck, regardless of what happened.

Incorrect. She may become the "bearer" under certain legal circumstances. There is many precedents and probably laws as well on lost property.

[lelio]

Smoking Gun police report on the lotto complaint.

She picked the winning 12-18-21-32-46-49 numbers by:

• One son's b-day is 12/18/03 == 12 - 18
• 21 for luck == 21
• other son is 23 years old (switch 23 -> 32) == 32
• sister was born in 1964 (another switch 64 -> 46) == 46
• husband turns 49 this year == 49

[smith288]

You'd write a million dollar check to somebody you know made up the story to defraud you?

I imagine they meant if you found the ticket on the side of the road.... You wouldnt know if Mrs Battle was a fruad or not.

[Protagoras]

I never said it was her ticket or that lots of proof wasn't needed. Only that "finders keepers" doesn't work in law. The rest is a separate question.